Tags:japan
The City and Its Uncertain Walls
A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.STEP INTO THE CITY. . . When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he sets his heart on finding the imaginary city where her true self lives. His search will lead him to take a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own.When he finally makes it to the walled city, a shadowless place of horned beasts and willow trees, he finds his beloved working in a different library – a dream library. But she has no memory of their life together in the other world and, as the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, he must decide what he’s willing to lose.A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.'A love letter to books, libraries and librarians' Financial Times, Books of the YearPRAISE FOR HARUKI MURAKAMI'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian 'Wild and thrilling. . . Murakami is a master storyteller and he knows how to keep us hooked' Sunday Times'Totally gripping' Daily Express'It’s safe to say that there’s no one like Murakami' Literary Review'No other author mixes domestic, fantastic and esoteric elements into such weirdly bewitching shades' Financial Times
South of the Border, West of the Sun
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*A moving, thoughtful story of long-lost love and second chances.Growing up in the suburbs in post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch.Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting, he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.'Casablanca remade Japanese style...It is dream-like writing, laden with scenes which have the radiance of a poem' The Times
1Q84 Sampler
A FREE SAMPLER OF HARUKI MURAKAMI'S NEW MASTERPIECEThis sampler contains the first two chapters of Haruki Murakami's magnum opus, 1Q84, introducing the reader to the hero and heroine of the story, Tengo and Aomame.The full ebook of Books One and Two will be available in one volume on 18th October 2011, followed by the ebook of Book Three on 25th October.The year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo.Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.Meanwhile, Tengo is leading a nondescript life but wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in unusual ways. Can her story really be true?Both Aomame and Tengo notice that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to intertwining.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*An eclectic, eccentric and altogether brain-bending collection of short stories.Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, an ice man, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami's characters confront loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distance between those who ought to be closest of all.'An intimate pleasure' The Times
1Q84: Books 1 and 2
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*Read this imaginative masterpiece from the internationally bestselling author of Norwegian WoodThe year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo.Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.Meanwhile, Tengo wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in unusual ways. Can her story really be true?Both Aomame and Tengo notice that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to intertwining.'It is a work of maddening brilliance and gripping originality, deceptively casual in style, but vibrating with wit, intellect and ambition' The Times
1Q84
The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky.In this world, the fates of two people, Tengo and Aomame, are closely intertwined. They are each, in their own way, doing something very dangerous. And in this world, there seems no way to save them both.Something extraordinary is starting.*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*'1Q84 has a range and sophistication that surpasses anything else in his oeuvre.' Independent on Sunday‘Murakami's magnum opus’ Japan Times‘Vibrating with wit, intellect and ambition’ The Times
Norwegian Wood
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*'A masterly novel' New York Times'Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami's writing that everything he chooses to describe trembles with symbolic possibility' GuardianRead the haunting love story that turned Murakami into a literary superstar.When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.'Evocative, entertaining, sexy and funny; but then Murakami is one of the best writers around' Time Out'Poignant, romantic and hopeless, it beautifully encapsulates the heartbreak and loss of faith' Sunday Times'This book is undeniably hip, full of student uprisings, free love, booze and 1960s pop, it's also genuinely emotionally engaging, and describes the highs of adolescence as well as the lows' Independent on Sunday
Vintage Murakami
Discover the work of Haruki Murakami with this anthology from Vintage Readers, a perfect introduction to some of the greatest modern writers.“Murakami’s bold willingness to go straight over the top is a signal indication of his genius. . . . A world-class writer who has both eyes open and takes big risks.”—The Washington Post Book WorldFew writers have ever won the sort of international acclaim enjoyed by Haruki Murakami. His genre-busting novels, short stories, and reportage, which have been translated into thirty-five languages, meld the surreal and the hard-boiled, deadpan comedy and delicate introspection.Vintage Murakami includes the opening chapter of the international bestseller Norwegian Wood; “Lieutenant Mamiya’s Long Story: Parts I and II” from his monumental novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; “Shizuko Akashi” from Underground, his nonfiction book on the Toyko subway attack of 1995; and the short stories “Barn Burning,” “Honey Pie,” and, for the first time in book form, “Ice Man.”
Underground
In this haunting work of journalistic investigation, Haruki Murakami tells the story of the horrific terrorist attack on Japanese soil that shook the entire world. On a clear spring day in 1995, five members of a religious cult unleashed poison gas on the Tokyo subway system. In attempt to discover why, Haruki Murakmi talks to the people who lived through the catastrophe, and in so doing lays bare the Japanese psyche. As he discerns the fundamental issues that led to the attack, Murakami paints a clear vision of an event that could occur anytime, anywhere.
Novelist as a Vocation
Words have power. Yet that power must be rooted in truth and justice. Words must never stand apart from those principles.'You end this collection...vowing to never let life, or writing, get so complicated again' GuardianReaders who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his beautifully surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author shares with readers what he thinks about being a novelist; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.'Murakami is like a magician who explains what he's doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers' New York Times Book Review'A fascinating glimpse of the peculiar writerly life' Sunday Times** A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES and NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR**
What You Are Looking for is in the Library
THE TWO-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING INTERNATIONAL NOVELThe Top Ten Times bestsellerA Time Magazine Book of the Year'An undeniable page-turner' New York Times'I ADORED this uplifting, hopeful novel ' Daily Mail'It made me laugh and cry and feel comforted' 5***** Reader review'A tribute to the transformative power of books and libraries' Irish TimesAn inspirational tale of the love, comfort and growth you can find in the pages of a good book._________________What are you looking for?So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi.But she is no ordinary librarian.Sensing exactly what someone is searching for in life, she provides just the book recommendation to help them find it.We meet five visitors to the library, each at a different crossroads:- The restless retail assistant eager to pick up new skills- The mother faced with a demotion at work after maternity leave- The conscientious accountant who yearns to open an antique store- The gifted young manga artist in search of motivation- The recently retired salaryman on a quest for newfound purposeCan she help them find what they are looking for?Which book will you recommend?_________________'An undeniable page-turner' New York TimesFor fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this feel-good Japanese book shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a life.SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAPAN BOOKSELLERS' AWARD'I definitely want to visit this library. I feel kinder after this book' 5***** Reader review'A quirky slice of feel-good fiction that you could recommend to anyone' Mail on Sunday'Wonderful. It made me look for connection in my life' 5***** Reader reviewTimes bestseller, August 2023
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT!Contains five exquisite line-drawings.For fans of THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES, discover the award-winning heartwarming sensation.Readers adore it:‘The most wonderful book I've ever read’ *****‘A terrific idea, a powerful ending, brilliant storytelling’ *****‘The story drew me in instantly, and I laughed so much’ *****‘I definitely want everyone to read this book’ *****‘There are so many wonderful lines to underscore, but if I write them here, there will be spoilers!’ *****____________A cat a day keeps the doctor away ...On the top floor of an old building at the end of a cobbled alley in Kyoto lies the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. Only a select few - those who feel genuine emotional pain - can find it.The mysterious centre offers a unique treatment for its troubled patients: it prescribes cats as medication.Get ready to fall in love:- Bee, an eight-year-old female, mixed breed helps a disheartened businessman as he finds unexpected joy in physical labour;- Margot, muscly like a lightweight boxer, helps a middle-aged callcentre worker stay relevant at work and at home;- Koyuki, an exquisite white cat brings closure to a young mother troubled by the memory of the rescue kitten she was forced to abandon;- Tank and Tangerine bring peace to a hardened handbag designer, as she learns to be kinder to herself;- Mimita, the Scottish Fold kitten helps a broken-hearted Geisha to stop blaming herself for the cat she lost years ago;As the clinic's patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them towards healing, self-discovery and newfound hope.**Contains five exquisite cat line-drawings**Japanese bestseller, October 2023